Courts / Ireland / Report
Call centre firm that demoted manager on return from maternity leave must pay €31k
2023-10-11
Hearing Or Decision
Summary
A call‑centre firm, run by Jim McCoy, was found to have discriminated against a female manager, Mandy Hurley, after her maternity leave. The company had removed her from the management group, the "brain trust", and demoted her to a lower‑level role. Hurley reported being left in a new building with no colleagues, denied access to computer passwords for two weeks, and was told her work output was insufficient compared to junior staff. The Workplace Relations Commission adjudicator concluded the firm had a "complete lack of understanding" of its duties to female employees under the Maternity Protection Act. The tribunal upheld Hurley's complaint under the Employment Equality Act 1998 and ordered the company to pay her €31,000 in compensation, equivalent to 12 months' salary, for the discriminatory treatment she endured upon returning from maternity leave.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Call centre firm that demoted manager on return from maternity leave must pay €31k. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- May 2021 Other
- 2023-10-11 Publication
Why: The businessman denied under questioning by Mr Pearson, for the complainant, that he would not permit Ms Hurley to work from home "because she had a child". CNI source report
Topics
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